Contact Us

Communication & Journalism Department

WYOMING DEBATE UNION COACHES

Dr. Travis Cram, Ph.D.

Dr. Travis Cram (PhD, University of Kansas, 2014; M.A., University of Kansas, 2010; B.A., University of Wyoming, 2007) directs the University of Wyoming Speech & Debate Union, a nationally ranked debate program with over a century of proven excellence. Since joining the COJO faculty in 2010, UW debaters have finished among the top 16 teams in the country three times, qualified for the prestigious National Debate Tournament (NDT) every year, and reached the elimination rounds of the NDT twice. In addition to directing the debate team, Dr. Cram pursues research related to American foreign policy, rhetoric, and argumentation. Visit his faculty page here.

Hunter McFarland

Hunter is a Graduate Assistant at the University of Wyoming from Twin Falls, Idaho. She has a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and American Indian Studies and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Communication. As a debater she qualified to both the 69th and 70th National Debate Tournament, cleared to elimination rounds at many regional tournaments, and received a handful of speaker awards. Hunter's senior year she was a quarterfinalist at CEDA and a double-octo-finalist at the NDT. She also received the All-American Debate Squad Award at CEDA in 2016.

Austin Thoma, M. A.

Austin is a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Wyoming. Originally from Oregon, he has a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Concordia College and a Master's degree in Industrial and Labor relations from Cornell University. He is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Communication while teaching courses in persuasive argumentation. He has been involved in competitive debate for over 10 years, traveling both nationally an internationally for competition as a debater and as a coach. As a debater, he competed at the World University Debating Championships in Gaborone, Botswana and in Manila, Philippines, and was a semi-finalist at the US Universities Debating Championship. Before coming to the University of Wyoming, he coached the Cornell University debate team for two years.